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Nanophotonics The College of Engineering has received a $9 million package - $2 million from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF), $5.35 million from AT&T and a $2 million commitment from the university - to attract a team of world-class faculty researchers in the field of nanophotonics. The positions will be filled by Dr. Hongxing Jiang and Dr. Jingyu Lin, currently professors at Kansas State University. These researchers will be part of the university's Nano Tech Center, co-directed by Dr. Henryk Temkin and Dr. Mark Holtz. The third member of the research team, Dr. Zhaoyang Fan, arrived in January. The collaborative funding will be used to enhance nanophotonics research, and supports the development of new technologies, including those that will impact tomorrow's communications industry. 

 

The Texas Tech University College of Engineering named Duffer B. Crawford and Thomas J. Zachman as recipients of the 2008 Distinguished Engineer Award on April 4 at a luncheon on the Texas Tech University campus. The Distinguished Engineer Award was established during the 1966-67 academic year to recognize the most outstanding alumni of the Texas Tech University College of Engineering. Since that time, 189 graduates of the College of Engineering have received this honor. Recipients of the award must be distinguished in their profession, an inspiration to their peers, and have demonstrated a continuing interest in areas outside the field of engineering.

Crawford Born in Ranger, Texas in 1919, Duffer Crawford is a 1941 chemical engineering graduate of Texas Technological College. He worked for a variety of organizations in his highly successful career, from the Manhattan Project to significant Liquefied Natural Gas breakthroughs at M. W. Kellogg Corporation. Crawford holds patents in low-temperature processes and continuous production of diverse materials. Since retiring from M. W. Kellogg, he has worked as a cryogenic consultant, specializing in review of new technology as it applies to the Liquefied Natural Gas Industry.

Zachman Tom Zachman was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1952. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Texas Tech University in 1974. After graduation, Tom joined the Fluor Corporation in Houston, Texas as a civil/structural engineer. While at Fluor, he advanced in increasing positions of responsibility into engineering management and project management. In 2003, Tom was appointed Vice President of Operations for the Fluor Energy and Chemicals business in Houston with overall responsibility for domestic and international projects executed from the Houston office in Oil and Gas Upstream, Refining, and Chemicals.

 

U.S.News and World Report magazine recently issued its 2008 rankings of graduate engineering programs from around the nation. The Department of Petroleum Engineering ranked 10th in the Petroleum category; the Department of Industrial Engineering ranked 30th in the Industrial/Manufacturing category; and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering ranked 65th in the Electrical/Electronic/Communications category. According to Dr. Pamela A. Eibeck, dean of the College of Engineering, "This reflects the quality of our faculty, their research and the outstanding graduate students they attract." Congratulations to the faculty and staff of each of these departments.

 

Dr. Dan Cooke Dr. Dan Cooke, professor of computer science, has been named one of Texas Tech's four new Paul Whitfield Horn Professors. Dan is a professor and past department chair of the Department of Computer Science. Dr. Cooke is internationally recognized for his development of a new programming language, SequenceL. He and his research colleagues have applied the language to NASA's guidance, navigation and control for the manned Mars space mission. Cooke has published over 90 journal and conference publications and has received over $2.3 million dollars in research funding.

Other active Paul Whitfield Horn Professors from the College of Engineering include:

  • Dr. Magne Kristiansen, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Dr. Kishor C. Mehta, Civil Engineering
  • Dr. Henryk Temkin, Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Dr. Greg McKenna, Chemical Engineering
  • Dr. Sunanda Mitra, Electrical and Computer Engineering

 

Sindee Simon Dr. Sindee Simon, professor of chemical engineering, is the 2007-08 recipient of the Barnie E. Rushing, Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research Award. The award, presented by the Texas Tech Association of Parents, is to recognize outstanding research or scholarly activity by a member of the Texas Tech faculty and to encourage high quality research and publication by the faculty of the University. Dr. Simon will be recognized and presented an honorarium at the Texas Tech Association of Parents spring scholarship breakfast.


Previous recipients of the Barnie E. Rushing, Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research Award from the College of Engineering include:

  • Dr. Magne Kristiansen (1979-80)
  • Dr. Sunanda Mitra (2001-02)
  • Dr. Kishor Mehta (2002-03)
  • Dr. Valery Levitas (2004-05)

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Faculty Recognition

Pam Eibeck Dr. Pamela A. Eibeck, dean of the College of Engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) International for "exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession." In its history, ASME has named over 2,500 fellows, chosen from among more than 125,000 ASME members.



Alexander Idesman Stephen Ekwaro-Osire Dr. Stephen Ekwaro-Osire, associate professor of mechanical engineering and Dr. Alexander Idesman, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, were selected as a Faculty Fellows for the 2008 Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship Program. Dr. Idesman was named a Faculty Fellow in 2007 and 2006.



Rafiqul Awal Dr. Rafiqul Awal, assistant professor of petroleum engineering, was honored for service as "outstanding professor" by the Texas Tech Student Governing Association (SGA/TTU) during the 43rd session of the student senate (2007-2008).





Ernst Kiesling Dr. Ernst Kiesling, professor of civil engineering, was quoted in the April 4, 2008 issue of USA Today regarding uniquely engineered structures built to withstand tornadoes. 




Staff Recognition

Mac Davis On March 2, 2008, the City of Lubbock hosted the Lubbock Centennial Celebration at the City Bank Auditorium. This event was headlined by Mac Davis, along with other local celebrities. This event was particularly meaningful to Mac Davis' sister, our own Sherri Blevins, academic advisor in the computer science department. Sherri, her husband Mike, and her son Jordan went backstage and took photos with Mac Davis in his dressing room. The group is pictured art right.

Pamela Best was hired as a Supervisor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.

Grants and Contracts

Center for Engineering Outreach

  • Dr. A. Dean Fontenot was awarded $3,846.00 by THECB/Technology Workforce Development. The title of the proposal was "Engineering Camps for Shake Hands with Your Future."

College of Engineering

  • Dr. Richard O. Gale was awarded $3,846.00 by THECB/Technology Workforce Development. The title of the proposal was "Engineering Camps for Shake Hands with Your Future."

Computer Science

  • Dr. Michael W. Sobolewski was awarded $49,009.75 by BWXT/Pantex. The title of the proposal was "CeLDi-TTU/Pantex/1316-44-C230/Information-Based Re-engineering of Tooling Operations at BWXT/Pantex."

Center for Pulsed Power and Power Electronics

  • Dr. James C. Dickens was awarded $283,018.00 by the Office of Naval Research/TAES. The title of the proposal was "Pulsed Ring-Down and EMP Generators for IED Neutralization and Controlled Destruction."

Electrical and Computer Engineering

  • Dr. Tanya N. Karp was awarded $3,846.00 by THECB/Technology Workforce Development. The title of the proposal was "Engineering Camps for Shake Hands with Your Future."
  • Dr. Mary C. Baker was awarded $133,452.75 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "GK-12: Building Bridges: Integrating Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education on the South Plains."

Industrial Engineering

  • Dr. Timothy I. Matis and Dr. Iris V. Rivero were awarded $147,029.25 by BWXT/Pantex. The title of the proposal was "CeLDi-TTU/Pantex/1316-44-C230/Information-Based Re-engineering of Tooling Operations at BWXT/Pantex." Dr. Timothy I. Matis is the PI.
  • Dr. Hong Chao Zhang was awarded $26,666.00 by Image Microsystems. The title of the proposal was "Collaboration Research on PCB Recycling with Image Microsystems."

Mechanical Engineering

  • Dr. Derrick E. Tate, Dr. Atila Ertas, and Dr. Timothy T. Maxwell were awarded $10,500.00 by EarthCo Building Systems. The title of the proposal was "EarthCo Mega Block." Dr. Derrick E. Tate is the PI.
  • Dr. Valery I. Levitas was awarded $6,000.00 by the National Science Foundation. The title of the proposal was "REU/Stress-Induced Virtual Melting as a New Mechanism of Crystal-Crystal and Crystal-Amorphous Phase Transformations."

Student Accomplishments

IEEE The 2008 IEEE Region 5 Technical, Professional, and Student Conference was held April 17-20, 2008 in Kansas City, MO. Texas Tech IEEE student Suzanne McDonald took second place in the student paper competition with her work in �Trajectory Planning�, and Tim Monday and Kevin Hooper took second place with their analysis of an engineering ethical dilemma, �Hurtful Words�.


AiChE Chemical engineering students, Nichole Hodge and Alisha Bloodworth had a clean sweep at the Southwest Regional AIChE Student paper competition in Corpus Christi on Saturday, March 8, 2008. The students placed 1st and 2nd, respectively. Nichole was mentored by Dr. Ted Wiesner, associate professor of chemical engineering, and Alisha was mentored by Dr. Elmus Beale, associate professor of cell biology at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

Aaron Adcock, a junior double-majoring in mathematics and electrical engineering, has been awarded a nationally competitive Goldwater Scholarship for 2008-09. Selected from a pool of 1,035 university nominees, the Goldwater Scholars are selected on the basis of academic merit and will receive up to $7,500 to cover tuition and fees. The scholarship is for undergraduate students pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Adcock is studying invariant theory and Planar Inverted-F Antennae, and will graduate in May 2009. Aaron plans to obtain a Ph.D. in math or engineering.

Alumni

Thailand Alumni Dr. John Kobza, professor of industrial engineering, recently traveled to Bangkok, Thailand to visit Kasetsart University and Chulalongkorn University to discuss student exchange and recruit graduate students. While there, he had the opportunity to have dinner with several Texas Tech industrial engineering alumni. Pictured at right are: Front row: Dr. Jackrapong Attagara, 2006 Ph.D. graduate; friend of Jackrapong; Dr. Lisa Patvivatsiri, 2006 Ph.D. graduate; Dr. Arisa Kosadat, 2003 Ph.D. graduate; and Dr. Joe Tharat Peeratarat, 2004 Ph.D. graduate. Back row: Dr. Keng Chaiporn Nattaphat, 2003 M.S.I.E. graduate; Dr. Therdporg Sirijane, 2004 M.S.I.E. graduate, and Dr. Kobza.

Events of Interest

Thursday, April 24, 2008 - 3:30 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Spring Faculty and Staff Meeting
The Lankford Lab

Is your news listed here?

If not, submit it through your department's editor:

Chemical - Hudson, Jan
Civil and Environmental - Andrews, Glenna
Computer Science - Digby, Mysti
Electrical and Computer - Willingham, Sandi
Engineering Technology - Reigner, Mary
Industrial - Wilson, Terry
Mechanical - Hernandez, Carmen
Petroleum - Blackmon, Joan

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Apr 30, 2020